Robert Crofts and Grant Alderson from Royal Perth Yacht Club (WA) have won the SKUD 18 Australian Open Championship which concluded on Sunday 1 May on Sydney’s Pittwater.

It came down to the final of six races to decide the title, with Crofts & Alderson finishing one point ahead of overnight leaders Neil Rowsthorn and Jack Wallace from Southport Yacht Club (QLD). Greg Hyde and Scott O’Connor from Middle Harbour Yacht Club (NSW) were third overall, two points further back.

All the crews included a para sailor helming and non-disabled forward hand able to use trapeze for this event. The light and variable breezes across the weekend, however, dictated that weight movement needed to be fairly subtle and the ability to make the most from a gentle puff of wind and read the tide made all the difference. It was as much a mind game.

The regatta brought together some very experienced sailors with strong competitive backgrounds in a wide range of classes, especially among the podium finishers.

Greg Hyde was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall Of Fame in 2019. Hyde has titles in dinghy, sailboard and skiff classes, was Australia’s sailboard representative at the 1984 Olympic Games and has won the famed blue water Sydney to Mooloolaba and Sydney to Hobart yacht races. In 1996, however, encephalitis preceded epilepsy and a series of strokes in a life-changing series of events. After years of recovery, Hyde commenced a campaign for the London Paralympics, winning the Hansa 303 at the 2009 Masters World Games and taking the Liberty World Championship in 2012. Hyde and his long-term sailing buddy O’Connor took two wins across the weekend in their first SKUD 18 regatta and their wily skills looked the best to make the most of the fickle conditions - but it was not to be.

Neil Rowsthorn has been on the committee of Sailability Gold Coast and helped establish the Queensland Para Sailing Academy at Southport Yacht Club. He has chased competition in all the Hansa classes – 2.3, 303 and Liberty – around Australia and overseas. Along with crew Jack Wallace, he continues honing his racing skills with the SKUD 18, sports boat and keelboat fleets at Southport. Other than one poor result on the final day, they sailed consistently throughout the championship but the race win that would elevate them from second place eluded them.

Robert Crofts made a huge commitment to travel and competition this summer, twice making the 8,000 kilometre (5,000 mile) round trip across the Nullabor towing boats to compete in the Australian Para Sailing Championships along with the New South Wales, Victorian and Australian Hansa Class Championships and the SKUD 18 Nationals. A regular competitor in the Hansa 303 and Liberty in Australian and international regattas, Crofts interest in the SKUD 18 was piqued after the 2019 Para Nationals in Queensland. He has since been working with Grant Alderson to develop and refine his skills. Coming on board as Crofts’ crew for the SKUD 18 Nationals at Pittwater, Alderson was Coach of the 2016 Gold Medal winning Australian Sailing Paralympic Team in the Sonar class and a past Flying Fifteen World Champion. Having taken and then relinquished the lead in both races on Saturday, Crofts and Alderson posted two wins on the final day along with a 2 and 3 to move to the top of the table from their overnight fourth place.

Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club were outstanding hosts and their race management team did well to complete a full race program in the challenging conditions. The event was organised in conjunction with Sailability Crystal Bay, with an extraordinary effort by Linda Buchan and Arthur Spithill to attract sailors from around the country.

Full results can be viewed at https://app.sailsys.com.au/club/13/results/series/1480/races